Peppermint
by jennifer snape
Summary: They've taught together and lived together, but can their relationship survive the secrets they've been keeping? Some surprises are not all that they're cracked up to be.... A story of heartache, passion and anger, told in reverse chronological order.HGSS
1. Chapter 1

This story is written in reverse chronological order, so Chapter 1 is actually the ending, and with each chapter you go a bit further back in time. I hope you stay along for the ride! I've written it in this way because hopefully your idea of what is actually happening will change as you read on…. Everything will become clear by the end! I'm aiming to write 5 chapters in total, and Chapter 5 is already completed (so I've got an ending to work towards!)

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**Peppermint**

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Chapter 1 

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"_Silencio!_"

Severus lowered his wand after casting the silencing spell and allowed himself a satisfied smirk.

_Excellent_. That should be sufficient to mask the noise emanating beyond these four walls when the preparations began later in the evening. Hermione wouldn't suspect a thing. He had already charmed the room to triple its size – a necessity when the promised fifty or so guests arrived.

The spell cast, Severus lowered himself into the worn armchair beside his desk. He leant an elbow on the armrest and rubbed his eyes. It had been a long couple of months. He fervently hoped that the disaster that had overshadowed the recent weeks wouldn't spoil their enjoyment of the evening. One thing was for certain - he didn't know _how_ he would have coped without Hermione. He would be sure to tell her that tonight….

Just thinking about her made a warm sensation fill his chest. He tilted his head back slowly and sank deeper into the softness of the cushion, letting his heavily lidded eyes close. _Ah, that felt better_…. He had hated lying to her about where he had been all those afternoons that he had disappeared to make arrangements for tonight. After today, mercifully, that would all be able to stop. He blinked tiredly and fought the urge to steal a short nap, realising that Hermione would be home from work in less than four hours. There was still plenty to do. His gaze rested on the absurdly patterned floor-to-ceiling drapes that she had insisted on furnishing the living room with when they had both moved into the apartment the previous winter. Almost subconsciously, the deep crimson folds caused the image of a red-haired girl to float into his mind. As it did so, an uncharacteristic softness stole across his usually stern features.

Ginny.

Severus quickly forced the image from his thoughts guiltily and rose from his chair. He could only hope that Hermione had not suspected. With a brisk swirl of his robes he turned and exited the room.

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_No. _

_No. No no no no_…._ This isn't happening_…. Hermione held her head in her hands as she stood before the bathroom mirror, rocking back and forth as she tried to stop thinking. _Stop thinking. Just stop. No no nooo_…. She stifled a sob and rubbed her face violently with her open palms. _Just make up your mind, damn it_…. She raised her heavy head and blinked, her tear-stained reflection grimacing back at her. She cursed herself for her weakness. _Just go through with it_, she scolded herself bitterly. _Do you think he doesn't deserve it? _The image of a couple standing close, whispering, rotating on the spot and Disapparating together sprung into her mind, taunting her._ Do you think he's sorry for what he's been doing to_ _you?_

The door to one of the cubicles suddenly banged open and startled her out of her thoughts. A second-year Ravenclaw emerged, shouldering her schoolbag. She saw her teacher and promptly froze. Hermione caught sight of the young girl and flushed.

"Get to class!" she shouted, embarrassed at being seen like this. She had thought that the room was empty, lessons having started ten minutes ago. "Ten points from Ravenclaw!"

The girl paled and backed away. "Yes Professor", she mumbled, rushing for the doorway.

No sooner than the words had left her mouth, Hermione winced, immediately regretting her outburst. Turning to apologise, she saw the door swing to a close and heard the scurrying footsteps beyond grow softer. She gritted her teeth and raked her trembling fingers through her tangle of curls. When had she become such a monster? She snorted bitterly at the thought of this. The truth was, she could pinpoint the exact point in time.

A tear traced down her cheek and splashed into the sink. She watched it meander its way down towards the plughole - as if it would spell out what she should do. Her heavily lidded eyes closed and she leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the mirror. Hermione gasped at the coldness of the touch, and the throbbing heat in her temple simmered somewhat. She forced herself to focus on her breathing. In, out…. In, out…. In…. Out….

_BAM BAM BAM!_

"Come now, classes have started!"

Professor McGonagall's stern voice rang out from beyond the bathroom door and Hermione jolted in surprise, banging her forehead against the mirror. She bit back a curse and hurriedly turned the taps on, splashing ice-cold water over her puffy red eyes as her colleague burst through the doorway.

"Minerva!" Hermione spluttered through a mouthful of water. She turned to hide her face as the older witch eyed her in surprise.

"Hermione?" She suddenly stopped, glimpsing the younger witch's tear-stained reflection, and her voice softened. "Have you been - ?"

Hermione knew what she wanted to say. _Yes. I'm confused and angry and hurt and I need help._

But what came out of her mouth was "No, I'm fine." The younger Professor hung her head. "Something – something in my eye," she finished lamely.

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth to say something - then closed it again. Her expression softened as she studied the witch before her. She had noticed Hermione acting more and more distant recently. At first it had been little things – absentmindedness, lack of concentration – but lately she had been acting as though somehow she just - didn't _care_ anymore. Not quite knowing what to say, Minerva decided to just be direct. She covered the short distance between them and reached for the younger woman's arm gently. "Hermione, what is it?"

The younger witch only mumbled in reply and busied herself with the taps, refusing to meet Minerva's gaze.

"You can talk to me, dear," she pressed on.

Hermione trembled slightly, aching to be able to confide in someone. It was so tempting. If only she could just release the mountain of anger, frustration, guilt, and goodness knows what else she had been carrying around inside her head. But she couldn't. Of course she couldn't.

_You wouldn't believe me if I told you_.

Professor McGonagall sighed softly. Hermione would come to her when she was ready. She wouldn't pressure her. "I'm always here, you know that," she said gently. "If ever you want to talk about anything." She waited a few seconds for her words to linger in the silence before giving her shoulder an affectionate squeeze and leaving the room quietly.

Alone once more, Hermione gasped and sank slowly to the cold tiled floor. She hugged her knees to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to distance herself from the whole situation. Things had just completely rocketed out of proportion. What should she do? Had she gone too far to back out? Did she even _want_ to? In desperation, her gaze flicked towards the ceiling, half-heartedly hoping for some last minute divine inspiration –

And that split second was all it took.

She couldn't go through with it. It was no use - she just couldn't.

Hermione shakily raised herself to her feet and faced herself once more. She grabbed a handful of tissues, blew her nose and grimaced at her reflection. _Coward_, she scorned at herself, turning away. She could almost see a black-haired, stern face mocking her, laughing at her weakness.

Without a second glance, she left the bathroom.

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By nine o clock that evening nearly everyone had gathered in the lounge, and Severus quietly congratulated himself on the turn-out. His glittering eyes scanned the comfortably furnished room.

Standing by the fireplace were Hermione's parents, laughing at a joke that Kingsley Shacklebolt had just told the punch-line of. The other members of the Order and staff from Hogwarts, where Snape and Hermione both taught, were busy catching up with old friends. Snippets of conversations drifted over from their various positions about the room. At one end of the lounge, Tonks' short, cropped hair changed colour and emitted sparks every few minutes as she related a particularly frightening story to Draco and Harry's twin daughters, Rosemary and Steffi, whose tiny fingers squeezed their godmother Ginny's hands for comfort every so often.

Molly was standing just to their left, and was stressing the importance of _folding_ flour into cake batter rather than just mixing it in haphazardly, to a very interested Albus Dumbledore. She appeared to be gripping an imaginary bowl in her left arm, whilst miming a folding action with a pretend spoon in her right hand. Albus was hanging onto her every word while mimicking her movements with his own arms.

Those infernal Weasley twins were clearly using this get-together as an opportunity to promote their new line of goodness knows what, to a raptured audience of Monsieur and Madame Bouvier, Hermione's parents' neighbours. The twins had just launched into the finer points of the supposedly amazing product only to discover that the couple didn't speak a word of English.

After checking his watch once more, Snape's gaze travelled to the gathering on the settee. Potter (Severus still felt unable to address him as anything else), Draco and a few others he recognised by face only were seated on the couch, flicking through a hard-backed collection of photographs of Hermione as a child. Severus himself had perused the album earlier, and was certain that Hermione would be very touched by Mr. and Mrs. Granger's birthday gift to their daughter. Judging by the huge roar that had suddenly erupted from the group, they had just come across the hilarious shot of a seven-year-old Hermione dressed as the Tin Man from '_The Wizard of Oz_', in full cardboard box glory.

Not for the first time, Snape was relieved that he had not taken upon himself the entire workload in preparing for tonight. The invitations, for instance. His designated helper had been more than willing to visit nearly all of the guests in the past few months to invite them to come tonight. Severus had felt very smug at being relieved from that particular duty. If there was one thing he despised, it was running around after people. And the young Weasley, always having had a soft spot for Hermione, hadn't minded in the least.

Severus stepped towards the table that stood just to the right of the fireplace and surveyed the food with a dubious eye. After much coaxing, he had finally relented to the stubborn redhead's insistence that the food should all be hand cooked. _Hand-cooked, I ask you_…. The Weasley had insisted that Hermione would be really touched at the effort – _if not the quality_, Severus had silently added.

As he surveyed the disaster that was masquerading as a trifle – one of the Weasley twins' less successful concoctions – he stifled a smirk. A freckled face looked up just in time to see him grimace as he peered into a rather sorry-looking plate of dark green mush that was dripping onto the tablecloth, and quickly hid a blush. The home-cooking idea had definitely _not_ been the brainwave of the century.

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By quarter past nine that evening, the only person missing was Hermione herself. She always returned to the Snape-Granger household just a little after nine-thirty, so Severus took time to rifle through the drinks cabinet, looking for something suitable for everyone to toast Hermione with as she walked through the door. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face. Quite fortunately, there was no danger of her flooing unexpectedly into their midst through the fireplace of the living room, as Hermione always entered through the front door – one of the Muggle ways that Hermione still adhered to out of habit.

His thoughts turned to how tonight would be _doubly_ special. An uncharacteristic smile momentarily stole over his features. For now, that was to be _his_ secret. True, things had been a bit strained recently, but his heartbreak only a fortnight ago only confirmed how much he wanted to move forwards and not dwell on the past. His breathing quickened and he found that the mere thought of it was making him quite tense. Severus wiped his palms down the sides of his robes and took a few deep breaths, his nostrils flaring as he did so.

Not long now.

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Rainwater lapped around Hermione's ankles as the approaching storm threatened overhead. Her outdoor cloak was almost soaked right through, but the witch had barely noticed. The simple charm required to provide a barrier between herself and the terrible weather was the furthest thing from her mind right now. Just a few more steps and she would be home.

After hurriedly leaping the last two steps before the front door, Hermione's trembling fingers fumbled with the key as she rattled the lock. She hadn't changed her mind since the episode earlier that day in the bathroom, and suddenly she didn't care how long it had taken to prepare for this evening - she just couldn't go through with it anymore. Of course it would have been far quicker to simply Floo home, but that would have started the alarm bells ringing – literally. Severus had placed an alarm system on the apartment to alert the arrival of anyone through the Floo network – a security measure, he had insisted, in the wake of the incident just a few weeks ago that had left him shocked and scared for their safety.

Hermione cursed silently as the door refused to budge and in her haste, slammed against it in frustration, anxious to just enter and put an end to all this.

End it. Right. Just end it.

Her forehead throbbed so violently that she could barely distinguish whether it was an internal or external sensation, and only felt relief as the door gave way and she stumbled over the threshold.

She was only dimly aware of her surroundings as she scuffled through the hallway, walking right past the two umbrellas that her parents had carelessly left there when they had entered the apartment just over an hour ago. Instead, her senses were flooded with the images and emotions of the past few months as they all swam to the forefront of her mind, battling for attention.

Hermione inhaled a shaky breath and pushed aside any doubts that struggled to reach the surface as she raised a trembling arm to the door.

She took a deep breath and turned the handle.

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Severus' hand passed a jug of Firewhisky and paused at the homemade wine that Hermione had been carefully brewing for weeks now. He smiled to himself as he remembered how flustered she had been when he had burst in on her one afternoon as she had been making it. True, she had made it for only the two of them - but this was a special occasion wasn't it?

Without any further thought he brought it out, uncorked the bottle, and proceeded to fill everyone's glasses, marvelling at the turquoise tinge to the clear liquid. What an odd colour. He turned towards Ginny, whose goblet he had not yet filled, and paused slightly as her gaze met his. They shared a glance, Ginny's cheeks glowing a little with anticipation, something that Severus had grown to recognise over the past few months as they had begun to spend more time together. She smiled at him reassuringly – a knowing, 'everything will be fine' smile - and though his face did not betray it, it comforted him greatly. His heart began to beat a little faster when he realised what she was thinking, and whilst anyone looking at him would see a carefully controlled, cool exterior, she knew the nervousness he felt inside regarding what he was planning to do.

Severus surveyed the bottle he was holding. There was just enough for everyone. Perhaps he should really ask Hermione before they drank it, he thought, and a moment later, as he filled Minerva's glass, she echoed his thoughts aloud. He dismissed her suggestion, however. "You know what Hermione's like." Snape's eyes glittered at his colleague. "She'd be mortified to see everyone tasting her homemade wine before she had a chance to test it first. She'd think it wasn't good enough." His eyes softened slightly. "She's so modest," he whispered, almost to himself.

Suddenly Molly hissed excitedly, her ear to the door. "_WAIT!_ I think she's here!" A scuffling was heard in the hallway and everyone held their breath.

A second later Hermione, visibly flustered, entered to the sight of all her dearest friends and family raising their glasses. "To Hermione!" The resounding cheer rang out, startling the wide-eyed girl in the doorway. There were various cries of 'Happy Birthday!' before everyone raised their glasses to their lips. Severus was suitably satisfied with Hermione's expression of complete surprise – almost _shock_ - and quietly congratulated himself. It had been hell keeping this a secret.

They all downed a large gulp of the clear liquid.

_Good grief_, Snape thought, his eyes watering slightly. Now _that_ was wine. A lot stronger than he had expected. He smirked, thinking how glad he was that the bottle was now empty and Hermione wouldn't be able to taste it. He chuckled to himself, eyeing the reactions of everyone else in the room. They had clearly found it as strong as he had. His breathing quickened for the second time that evening - no doubt due to the strength of the wine knocking him for six. He didn't notice the exact moment that Hermione registered the sight before her. His mouth suddenly became rather dry, but as he licked his lips he was pleasantly surprised. _Was that…?_ Yes…. The wine had a distinct aftertaste of _peppermint_….

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There wasn't much dialogue in this first chapter, but that will change!


	2. Chapter 2

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**Peppermint**

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Chapter 2 

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Severus fumbled in his outer robe pocket for the large key that would admit him to his laboratory, his mind preoccupied. _Laboratory_ was perhaps a fancy term for the medium sized room that housed his modest store of potions ingredients and stacks of notes that he had painstakingly accumulated over the previous years - written and rewritten more times than he cared to remember - but it was with a certain fondness that Severus regarded this precious hideaway.

His long fingers clasped the desired object and pulled it free from the confines of his cloak. He inserted it into the mortise lock and turned anti-clockwise once, twice, all the while muttering the counter-spell to the numerous wards that he had placed upon the door. With a final utter he pressed the handle and pushed the door open, just as he had done countless times before.

His jaw dropped.

The scene that met him knocked the wind from his lungs, and in that instant a thousand emotions penetrated his sinking heart. The room was destroyed. Not one single drawer remained in its cabinet – each had been wrenched from its resting place and deposited haphazardly upon the floor, scattered splinters of wood indicating that they had been thrown with force onto the ground. Racks and racks of bottles, flasks and containers – some so old and rare that they were no longer made – were overturned and smashed into misshapen, glistening fragments upon the workbenches.

Papers – and here was the most painful part for Severus – carefully hand-written text, charts and diagrams lay ripped and smeared with ink. The Potions Master's face whitened as he surveyed the awful scene, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he struggled to remain upright. It wasn't as though someone had merely been searching for something so much as had desired to destroy every single thing within the room with wicked thoroughness. Nearly a whole minute passed by before Severus was able to even move. His face ghostly pale, he staggered forwards to the far wall and pushed aside the heavy curtain that covered his invaluable store - – stoppered glass vials of rare ingredients, each of which would oxidise and therefore be ruined instantly upon contact with air - but even before his trembling fingers grasped at the cloth he knew what would find. Smashed…every last one of them. The shattered remains glared at him from the ground, the contents lying shrivelled and useless upon the stone floor.

Severus stared numbly at the evidence and sank silently onto his littered workbench, his face in his hands. He barely registered the sound of the fireplace in the room above signalling that Hermione had arrived home from work or the clatter of her steps down the narrow stairway that lead to the cellar, where the laboratory was.

"Severus, is that you – " she questioned conversationally as she peered around the door, her Teacher's robes swishing with every step.

Hermione gasped loudly as she entered the room. "What…?"

Her eyes sought Severus and she rushed to him and flung her arms around him. "Severus, oh no…."

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The sun started its steady descent in the sky and still Hermione held Severus in her arms. They might have sat like that for a whole hour silently holding each other. No words were needed. He stole a glance at her and saw tears rolling down her cheeks, soaking the front of her robes. Somehow it lessened his pain, knowing that she was sharing it. Not for the first time, he silently thanked the gods that he had been blessed with someone as wonderful as her. He knew that she blamed herself - she had protested that maybe she hadn't replaced the wards correctly the last time that she had used the laboratory herself. He also knew how stubborn she was. He had told her it was an accident - that it could just as easily have been _him_ who forgot to put all the necessary spells in place to protect the room and his work from intruders - but judging by her tears, she wasn't able to believe that yet.

Hermione noticed him looking at her. Even if she hadn't seen his glance, she would have felt it, such was the bond between them. They had always had that. As she stared into those deep black eyes she realised that it really did hurt her to see him in so much pain. He thought that her tears were only for his loss, but they were for far more than that. Because yes, she cried for that reason, but she also cried for the part of herself that she had lost forever the night that his laboratory had been destroyed.

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That evening, Severus pointed his wand at the fireplace in the living room and muttered the incantation below his breath. A pale green light spouted from the tip and shot into the flames. It spiralled slowly before emitting a soft 'pop'. The light then disappeared, leaving a distinct shimmer in the grate.

"You're placing an alarm on the Floo?" a soft voice piped from behind him.

Snape turned sharply, instinctively raising his wand in a defensive stance. However, on seeing that it was Hermione, he relaxed and shot her an almost apologetic look. He exhaled heavily. "Yes." He rubbed his temple wearily and she noticed the dark shadows beneath his eyes that hadn't been there the previous day.

"You're so jumpy," Hermione scolded him softly. "Don't you think this is a bit much?" She gestured towards the fireplace that was now emitting a continuous, dull throb. "These alarm spells buzz so loudly, it'll only be a nuisance…and I doubt that whoever broke into your laboratory will be back in a hurry - "

"Well I'm not going to take that chance," Severus snapped irritably. "I should have done this a long time ago. Maybe if I had…."

His voice faltered and a dark look flickered across his features.

Hermione didn't argue. She stepped away as Severus continued to stare into the fireplace and exited the room, softly shutting the door behind her.

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A few days later, in Diagon Alley, Hermione glanced at the list in her hand and her eyes lingered on the next item. _Parchment_. She was doing her weekly shopping and had actually welcomed the mundane task this time. It was her half-day at Hogwarts and she had been glad to get out of the house, where Severus had been brooding. A twinge of guilt flickered across Hermione's mind at the thought, but with a defiant shake of her chestnut hair she dismissed the thought from her mind. Considering the circumstances, she had _nothing_ to feel guilty about. She surveyed the shops before her until she located the appropriate one and crossed the street to make her next purchase. She had almost reached the little store when her gaze flicked to the end of the street and two familiar figures disappeared behind a shop front. Her mouth tightened.

_I should have guessed._

Hermione drew in a sharp breath, shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe it. Even after what had happened to his laboratory, he still couldn't keep away. She was also slightly surprised at herself, surprised to know that even after months of this it still enraged her. Any guilt that she had been feeling was extinguished. Blinking against the familiar hot, prickling feeling behind her eyelids, she wrenched her gaze away and entered the shop.

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Less than a few minutes later Ginny's hands flew up to her face, as a look of utter horror replaced her earlier greeting smile. "_Everything?_" she echoed."_Destroyed?_"

Severus looked at her stonily. "That's what I said, isn't it?"

He and Ginny were sitting in a quiet corner of _The Wand And Cloak_, having one of their planned meetings. It was one of the lesser popular inns on one of the side roads off Diagon Alley and did not attract many customers so it was, naturally, a perfect place for the two to meet. They had arrived separately as usual on the street before disappearing here in case Hermione, whom Severus knew would be out and about doing her shopping in the area, should see. He had tried to contact Ginny to rearrange the time, in light of the recent events at home and the heavy workload he would now undoubtedly face replacing his lost work but, as he had failed to reach her he had simply decided to just meet her as planned.

Ginny spoke in a strangled voice through her fingers. "You should have _said_. We could have met some other time. You must have lots to…oh, I'm so sorry…I can't imagine…." her voice trailed away weakly.

Severus opened his mouth to retort that it was her fault that she had been unreachable by owl or he would gladly have rescheduled the time, but managed to bite back the comment.

"It's alright," he finally conceded. "It is not long now, so its best that we just meet today as planned." He inwardly rolled his eyes. It was definitely Hermione's influence that had taught him to curb his sharp tongue.

"But are you sure you still want to…?" the red-haired woman questioned. "What with all the work you must have to do with your laboratory…."

"Of course," he interrupted instantly, and he found that he meant it. If anything, the strength that Hermione had given him in the past few days had overshadowed any reservations he might have developed about the upcoming planned event.

They sat in silence for a while as Ginny shuffled through a sheaf of parchment with lists of names. Each glowed either green or red.

"So the final numbers are…?" Severus asked, his eyes flicking over the sheet.

Ginny took out a quill and tapped her chin with the end of it thoughtfully. "Well I managed to contact Kingsley yesterday, and it looks like Tonks can come after all so…." She scribbled the two names on the bottom of the list and touched her wand to them, causing each to glow green. "That's fifty-three in all."

Ginny rested the quill on the table top and regarded him a moment, seemingly toying with the idea of whether or not to speak.

"Oh spit it out," Severus said at last, after she had opened and closed her mouth several times without speaking. "Whatever it is just say it."

She looked at him seriously and went for the plunge. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

Severus stiffened. "What about?" he retorted sharply, knowing full well what she was talking about.

Ginny smiled to herself a little and impulsively placed a hand on his arm and smiled comfortingly. "It'll be fine, I promise you…." Then she suddenly realised that she had her hand on Severus Snape's arm and snatched it away quickly, dropping her head as she reddened slightly.

Snape smirked at her response, but promptly replaced the smirk with an indifferent expression before she raised her head.

He surprised himself sometimes. A few months earlier he wouldn't have thought twice before giving her a full-blown sneer, but now…. No two ways about it, Hermione had certainly softened him.

I don't know what you're talking about, he murmured, not quite catching her eye.

Ginny raised her eyebrows and gave him a _look_.

Snape, who had made countless students in the past crumble beneath his very eyes, was surprised to find himself squirming under her gaze. He swallowed, his collar feeling slightly tight all of a sudden. "Of course I'm not nervous," he eventually replied, his nostrils flaring.

That at least was true…he wasn't nervous.

He was _terrified_.

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I've only revealed a little more of the story in this chapter – all will become clear in due course. I hope you're enjoying it so far!


	3. Chapter 3

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**Peppermint**

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Chapter 3 

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The cauldron frothed a deep Prussian blue, just as the ancient text said it should, as Hermione painstakingly turned a disintegrating page with her specially purchased tongs. She held her breath as she did so. The book at which she was peering intently was nearly 1,500 years old and judging by its fragile condition, she guessed that any abrupt movement may well reduce the pages to dust. Such potions as the one that she was currently concocting were no longer printed in textbooks these days, for obvious reasons. The words were barely readable - all but faded away with time - but she just managed to make out the final stage of the method. She would need to let the deep blue mixture rest for exactly 2 days, then boil it thoroughly, cool and condense the vapour, and it would be ready. The colour would lighten with time as the potency increased.

Being a Potions mistress, Hermione was well accustomed to spending hours on end in her classroom, fine tuning various concoctions, some of her own design. The skill with which she prepared the present potion demonstrated the many years of practise under the observant and often stern eye of her former teacher, then colleague, then partner, Professor Snape.

Hermione's mind momentarily drifted back to the period of transition from student to staff member all those summers ago. She had left Hogwarts with an array of NEWTs but little clue as to what to do with them. It had only been after spending a few months away from the intensity of student life, and being free from the constant homework assignments and deadlines, that she had realised her true love of the subject of Potions. She had always delighted in the methodical approach and precision required, and if truth be told, it had only been the unrelenting glare and disapproval of her Slytherin teacher that had deterred her from pursuing the subject earlier. And so Hermione had applied for and carried out the required three-year undergraduate Potions studies before returning to Hogwarts with her ever-present thirst for knowledge and keen mind intact.

This had annoyed Severus Snape no end.

_Potions Mistress_. He had snorted into his pumpkin juice when Minerva had informed him of the latest addition to the staff. _But you must agree, Severus_, she had protested in that maddeningly matter-of-fact way, _it will lighten your individual workload considerably having Miss Granger with us. Heaven knows it's a two-person job to teach OWL and NEWT Potions single-handedly_…. He had only frowned at her and returned to his marking, inwardly fuming. Of course he knew that she was completely right, but he would be damned before he admitted it.

A subconscious smile tugged at the corners of Hermione's mouth as she recalled the course of events following the start of her teaching career. Snape had barely acknowledged her for the first few months, and she had been equally steely in return, much to the exasperation of Headmistress Professor McGonagall. However, even she gave up trying to force the two stubborn teachers to see eye to eye after countless unsuccessful attempts.

So in the end, it was ironic that it was one of Professor McGonagall's futile attempts that did in fact break not so much the _ice_ but the glacier between them. Hermione's thoughts drifted back….

They had all been having dinner at the staff table, Professor McGonagall seated in her customary position between Severus and Hermione. She had been peering at the two silently for a few minutes and Hermione had almost imagined the cogs mechanically turning in her head thinking of new ways in which to bridge the gap between her two hostile neighbours. And, right on cue – "Severus," she had announced in her clipped accent. The Potions Master turned to face her. "I was talking to Hermione yesterday."

"Were you indeed," he retorted, the note of annoyance in his voice unmistakeable as he stabbed a forkful of green beans with unnecessary force. He turned back to his meal, his stony expression unaltered.

Silence.

"Yes," Minerva persevered. "She mentioned an article that she had been reading in _Potions Today_, but I think you'd be much better adapted than myself to discuss such a topic…."

Hermione had rolled her eyes to herself. There had been no such conversation.

Silence.

At the lack of reply, Minerva put her fork down and turned to face her stubborn colleague. "I said – "

"I heard you very clearly," came the cool reply.

"So – "

"And the answer is yes – "

Minerva had looked at him in surprise.

Severus put down his knife and gave her his full attention. " - that if Miss Granger and I ever get married you can rest assured that you will take full credit for the happy event and be named Godmother to all of our twenty-six children due to your relentless and admirable efforts to play matchmaker for the two of us."

Minerva's face had instantly whitened at this and her lips formed a thin line. All of this speech had been delivered in Snape's usual formidable tone, which only served to increase the hilarity of the statement, and Hermione had snorted so forcefully that she had inhaled half of her soup.

And then had come the unusual part. She had caught Snape's eye quite by accident and there had been an unmistakeable glint beneath that cool exterior. It had remained for a mere split second before he jerked his gaze away, leaving Hermione staring at the back of his head.

She remembered jolting a little at that. _Now…that's interesting_….

And, as it had turned out, Severus Snape and Hermione Granger had not been so very different after all.

Hermione shook her head free of the reminiscence, her eyes slightly moist, and returned her attention to the task before her.

Even though Hermione was keeping a safe distance away from the cauldron, wearing a heat-resistant visor and protective gloves that extended well past her elbows, she could still feel the power surging from the potion, and took great care not to look directly at the emerald glow that was encircling the cauldron. She had tripled the strength of the potion in order to increase its potency.

The cauldron placed safely in a cupboard, and a few muttered concealing spells later, Hermione reached for a cloth to wipe the desk. She quickly discarded the protective clothing and made a start on the cleaning. She needn't rush. Severus wouldn't be back for at least -

"Hermione!" The door to the laboratory opened and Severus appeared.

Hermione's eyes widened in alarm. She hurriedly grabbed some of the bottles and ingredients on the table and shoved them desperately into the drawer beneath the desk. What was he doing here? He wasn't due back for another hour at _least_. This was terrible, this potion was supposed to be a _surprise_….

Snape stirred behind her, his keen nose sniffing the air. _What was that smell? Was it - ?_ Highly unusual. Snape chuckled to himself as he quickly covered the distance between them and wrapped his arms gently around her waist, moving closer, his face inches away from the back of her neck.

"I don't believe I'm familiar with this potion." His voice lowered to a barely audible whisper. "Would you care to explain the finer points with me…?" His lips grazed the soft skin just beneath her ear and Hermione shuddered. He always knew he had complete control over her when he held her like that. A tear threatened to escape her right eye but she fiercely held it back. '_Don't be weak_,' she told herself.

"I never could resist - " he murmured into her ear, his soft breath tickling her as his grip around her waist tightened.

_It would be so easy to just lean back into his embrace_….

Hermione forced herself to revisit the hurtful memories that constantly brewed beneath the surface of her mind these days…_a dark figure leaning to whisper in a young witch's ear_…_a look of guilt flashing over his face on being questioned where he had been_…and she felt a familiar surge of anger flare within her chest once more. "I know, this is a special surprise for you" Hermione gasped, forcing the self-control that she required at precisely this moment and pulling away from him. Her hands moved hurriedly across the desk, further concealing the remainder of the bottles and instructions that lay there. "You're not supposed to see it yet! It's not ready - " She wrestled his grip and pried his fingers from her waist. He reluctantly relaxed his hold, a slightly bemused expression stealing over his features.

"Are you hiding something from me?" he questioned, his lips curling slightly as a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Hermione squeaked and spun around to face him, her hair falling in front of her face. "Hiding…? Of course not…don't be ridicul – "

But she was cut off as Snape's black eyes fixed her in place, glinting in amusement at her flustered look. He leaned towards her slowly, pinning her against the desk and placing his hands on the surface either side of her, his face inches from hers. "Good," he murmured, his breath tickling her cheek as he stole a soft kiss, his lips lingering for just a second on her skin. Hermione's eyes fluttered closed as he raised a gentle hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear with a spider's touch and let his finger trail slowly down her neck, sending a shiver straight to her spine. Hermione swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. Damn him, he'd always been able to completely floor her with just one look, just one feathery touch…. Before she even noticed - and before her eyes had barely opened - he had crossed the floor and exited the room, his quiet steps hidden in the swirl of his robes.

She exhaled heavily the breath that she hadn't even known she was holding and stared at the doorway that Severus had just walked through, her blood pounding in her ears. With trembling fingers, she rubbed her eyes and slowly turned towards workbench once more, her shoulders shaking with every breath.

_That_ had been a close call.


	4. Chapter 4

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**Peppermint**

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Chapter 4 

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Hermione tugged the heavy scarf closer around her face as she glanced around one last time and, when she was quite satisfied that no-one had recognised her, she disappeared down the narrow side road. Her gaze darted towards the old, battered sign that hung against the brick wall and she shuddered, but still carried on walking. _Knockturn Alley_…. It had been a long time since she had ventured down this particular avenue. Fifth year at Hogwarts, to be precise…but she had no time for reminiscing. She shook her head briefly to clear her thoughts and hurried towards an old shop bearing the words _Potions Ingredients and Texts_. She had questioned many of her old university teachers under the pretext of 'research', and had located the whereabouts of exactly what she was looking for.

As she steadily moved forwards and neared the shop she had the sudden, overwhelming urge to turn on her heel and run. She couldn't quite believe that she was doing this. But I can't back down now, she quietly told herself. She hadn't been able to sleep the previous night, nor the one before that. She had simply laid in bed watching the sleeping man beside her, listening to his rhythmic breathing and being unable to tear her eyes away as her thoughts ran riot and threatened to explode inside her head. And every now and then, as she had tried to reach out and touch Severus's shoulder, or run her fingers through his hair in the way that had been second nature to her for so long, she had found that she couldn't. She just couldn't forgive him. No, he was playing her for a fool - and that was exactly what she would be if she put up with it.

_Talk to him_….

Hermione quashed the niggling thought instantly and almost laughed at herself for even entertaining such an idea. After all, for years Severus had been able to look at Voldemort himself and lie straight to his face without the Dark Lord realising. Did she honestly think that he wouldn't be able to lie convincingly to _her?_ Her expression darkened. No, all he would have to do would be to hold her and look at her with that impossibly intense gaze and she would believe every word he said.

Hermione wiped her eyes and hurried forward before she changed her mind. She raised her hand to the doorway and paused for a second, her heart racing. She hesitated for the briefest of moments but then, with a deep breath, she pushed the door and entered.

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Severus blinked and trained his eyes on the dark blur that had just disappeared from view. _Had that been…?_ He shook his head and snorted at himself. Of course not. After all, what could Hermione possibly be doing down Knockturn Alley? He narrowed his eyes. _But that figure had looked so familiar_….

"Severus!" the witch beside him hissed, startling him back to his current position. "What is it?"

Snape stared a few more seconds at the alleyway that Hermione had just entered before returning his attention to the redhead standing next to him. "Nothing," he murmured tearing his gaze away and dispelling the thought from his mind. He regained his composure. "Nothing…I just thought…never mind."

Ginny looked at him slightly oddly and was about to say something but stopped, thinking better of it. "We'd better get going," she whispered. "Same place again?"

Severus nodded, a little absent-mindedly, before following the witch into the side road and into_ The Wand And Cloak_, their usual meeting-place. They quickly seated themselves in a corner and as Ginny went to the bar to make an order it wasn't long before Snape's thoughts turned to Hermione once more. _Had that been her? But what could she be doing down Knockturn Alley? Purchasing some ingredients, perhaps?_ He doubted it. _And anyway, if that was what she was doing why hadn't she mentioned it? She would have known that I would happily have gone with her._ _After all, Knockturn Alley isn't the kind of place you generally venture alone._ He fingered a small package in the pocket of his robes subconsciously, out of habit, but quickly withdrew his hand as he saw the younger witch approaching.

"Here." Ginny placed a Firewhiskey in front of Severus, oblivious of his sudden movment, and took a sip of her own before dropping into the chair opposite him.

"Thank you," Severus murmured.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few seconds, and Snape found himself almost snorting at the situation. A few months ago, who would ever have thought that he and Ginny Weasley would be sitting together having a drink?

He looked across at her and felt an enormous sense of relief. _Thank goodness for her._ He found that he no longer regarded her as another annoying Weasley. Of course, her invaluable help and assistance with all the arrangements had no doubt been the cause of that. He thought of the recent months. It had taken many hidden meetings between the two of them to invent stories to throw Hermione off the scent, draw up lists of people to invite, argue about minor details for hours on end, visit everyone to make sure they would be able to attend, and finally organise the evening. In truth, if it hadn't been for her, Severus would have gone half mad with all the preparations. Who would have thought it would be so difficult to arrange everyone to be in the same place at the same time?

Ginny addressed him with her usual question as she pulled the familiar sheaf of parchment from her robe pocket.

"Does she suspect anything?"

Severus shifted in his seat slightly. This time he wasn't so ready with his reply. It was usually a prompt affirmative that no, Hermione didn't suspect a thing – but this time he wasn't so sure…. His brow furrowed a little as his mind skipped over the episode the previous week, in the kitchen. Yes, that had certainly been tricky. Hermione had been asking some very awkward questions indeed. And he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there had been something about the way in which she had brushed him off and dismissed him so abruptly that had made him wonder a little if she had guessed that he was keeping something from her. _But no_, he quickly thought. After all, she had eventually settled at his rather lame insistence that he had been at the apothecary. And anyway, she would have just told him if there was something bothering her…. Then he remembered the warm smile that she had given him just moments after he had returned to the kitchen, and his heart lifted once more. No, he was quite sure that she didn't know. True, she had taken a while to accept his explanation of where he had disappeared off to the previous week, but she hadn't mentioned anything since.

Thankfully, ever since the kitchen incident she seemed to have forgotten all about his increasingly transparent explanations regarding his absences, and had stopped questioning him about his whereabouts. _Thank goodness_, Snape inwardly sighed. He didn't think he had enough imagination to supply him with another month's worth of stories. He rubbed his temple. He was certainly too old for all this.

So it was with a certain amount of conviction that Snape replied. "No, I'm quite sure Hermione isn't aware of what we are planning."

Ginny's face cracked into a smile. "I'll drink to that!" She raised her glass and downed the remainder of its contents. She replaced the empty glass with a thud and the table wobbled slightly. Snape instinctively reached out to steady the glass and the sleeve of his robes caught on the table edge. There was a soft thud as something rolled out of his pocket. It landed near Ginny's feet and she bent down automatically to retrieve it.

Snape instantly froze as he realised what had happened. "No!" he barked, his voice slightly hoarse as he dropped at the same moment to pick it up. "I'll get it!" He ducked beneath the table hurriedly, his hands fumbling desperately on the floor.

"Don't be silly, it's closer to me," Ginny persisted, not noticing the anxiety in his features. She grasped the object and picked it up triumphantly. "Here you go," she said, holding it out to the Professor, and watched him turn several shades paler. Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline in concern at his expression and she looked at the small package in concern. "What's the matter? It's not broken is it?" She eyed the cube and turned it over in her hands. It seemed to be intact. "What is it, anyway…?"

Suddenly Ginny's eyes flew open as she registered exactly what it was.

"Oh my GOD! Is this…? Are you…?" Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened even further.

Snape scowled and snatched it back.

"Yes and yes," he growled, deftly pocketing it as the red-haired witch continued to stare. He saw no point denying it now that the annoying witch had obviously guessed correctly, so he instead treated her to a black look that would ordinarily have made her squirm had she not been so excited.

"I can't believe it!" she squeaked, wide eyed. "I had no idea!"

Snape glared at her. "Forgive me, were you expecting me to run it by you first?"

Ginny visibly reddened. "Of course not," she mumbled. She shook her head in disbelief. "It's just so – "

"What?" Severus snapped a little defensively, suddenly frowning.

"No! Nothing like that! It's just…. Oh my God!"

She suddenly leapt across the table and hugged him ferociously around the neck, then realised what she had done and immediately sat back down again, blushing furiously.

Severus quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "I take it you approve, then."

"Oh, Severus!"

And for the rest of the evening, nothing could get rid of Ginny's beaming smile.

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**A/N:** Just one more chapter to go….


	5. Chapter 5

And it all started with….

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**Peppermint**

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Chapter 5 

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"Hermione?" Snape's usual greeting preceded him through the corridor as he hung his robes in the hallway and snapped the door shut behind him.

"In the kitchen," came the muffled reply.

It was Thursday evening, just like every other before that, as Snape strode into the kitchen of the apartment he shared with Hermione and gave her a soft kiss hello, not noticing the wooden way in which she received it. The younger witch then returned to the carrots she had been chopping as he seated himself behind her, his tall, broad frame stretching lazily over one of the chairs at the dining table.

"Late again?" Hermione asked, her voice a little higher than it needed to be. The question hung in the air.

"What did you get up to?" she inquired conversationally, trying to hide the tightness in her voice.

"Oh, nothing special…." There was the slightest pause before the pre-planned reply. "I just went to the apothecary."

Hermione stiffened slightly. "I thought you went there yesterday," she said quietly.

Snape cleared his throat slightly uncomfortably, thankful for the fact that he was seated behind Hermione so she wouldn't see the guilty look that had flashed across his features. "Yes…I forgot some things so I - went to place another order today." He closed his eyes and mentally kicked himself. _That was pathetic_. Even he could see straight through that one.

"You seem to spend all your time there these days." Hermione forced a small laugh and started to chop a little more forcefully.

"I know…." Snape shifted in his seat slightly. He adopted a more nonchalant tone. "Impossible as it may seem, this year's students have an even greater capacity to waste my ingredients than the last infernal lot."

Hermione's knuckles whitened as she gripped harder onto the knife. She would give him one more chance. "Did you meet anyone on your way?" she asked, her voice rising slightly as she closed her eyes desperately. _Please_…she willed him silently. _Please, just tell me what's going on_….

Severus shifted again as Hermione held her breath, her knife poised.

He cleared his throat. "Er…no, I just went straight there…I…had a lot of ingred - "

In that instant, Hermione's finger slipped and dark red blood oozed from the newly made gash onto the finely chopped carrots. "_Damn!_" She whispered a cleaning charm over the spoiled food whilst cradling her left hand.

"Here, let me." Severus immediately stood up to help her, only to be pushed away by the younger witch.

"I can manage - "

Severus ignored her protests and turned the tap on, smiling softly. He grasped Hermione's wrist gently to position her finger under the running water, but she quickly jerked her hand away.

"I _said_ I can _manage_," she choked out abruptly.

Severus shrank back in surprise, a look of hurt etched on his features. "Oh…of course…."

He stood silently beside her, frowning a little as he watched the scarlet-tinged water swirling down the plughole.

"Hermione -" he started softly, reaching a tentative hand to brush a strand of Hermione's hair away from her face. He stopped in mid air as she found her voice.

"You'd better get changed," she snapped, turning her face away from him to hide her moistening eyes. "Dinner will be ready soon…."

She waited until he had left the room before she let her tears flow.

_Damn him._

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Severus exited the kitchen with a heavy heart. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. He discarded his heavy robes on their bed and sat beside them, his elbows on his knees, his tired hands cradling his forehead. He fumbled in his right robe pocket for the two-inch square box he had been carrying around for the past few weeks – his constant reminder that all this secrecy would be worth it - and prised it open. His expression softened. He could just picture Hermione's face when he finally offered it to her. Not long now….

Whenever he felt himself losing patience with all the preparations for Hermione's birthday surprise that was looming ever closer, he would take out the velvet-covered box and picture the delicate ring on Hermione's finger. Merely looking at the soft gold band made him want to discard his intended plans and just stride into the kitchen and propose right this very second –

But he didn't.

It would be so much more memorable if he kept it until her birthday night, so he would wait.

Severus massaged his temples with the tips of his fingers and sighed. He rolled his shoulders and felt the tension easing away. He almost chuckled in spite of himself. Before he had let her into his life he would have scoffed at the very idea that a woman could make him feel such a way. As he stood to undress, he let his mind wander once more to the plans that he and Ginny had been formulating.

It hadn't been difficult deciding whom to enlist the help of, in terms of contacting Hermione's family and dearest friends. It had been a toss between Ginny, Potter and the youngest Weasley boy – and he would be damned if he had to ask _those_ two morons for their help. Ginny had certainly proved to be more than capable at organising this sort of thing. He smirked to himself. He may be slightly more sociable these days, but he would be damned if he was going to organise a _party_.

Severus picked out a loose fitting shirt and black pair of trousers and started to change.

Seconds before leaving the room, having stored the ring safely in its resting place, he glanced at himself in the mirror briefly and ran a hand through his already tousled shoulder-length locks. Rolling up his sleeves, he made his way to the kitchen.

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With Severus gone from the room, Hermione broke down. She held her head in her hands as a strangled sob escaped her lips. _Damn him._ How had it come to this? When had things started to go so wrong between them? She had thought they were happy, that things had been fine…. She pulled out her wand to heal her cut finger, all the time wondering why she had put up with it for so long.

As she sank onto the chair beside her, her mind drifted back…. It had started months ago. She snorted bitterly. Severus was a fool if he thought she hadn't noticed the stolen glances that passed between he and Ginny when they thought she wasn't looking. Whatever she may be, she wasn't _stupid_.

And it was other things too…_little_ things. For instance he had been increasingly distant and vague about where he had been. Hermione let her mind torture her. _Every Thursday, just like today, the one day of the week when we're both free from noon onwards from our demanding teaching jobs, he always returns home in the evening and makes up some pathetic excuse about where he has spent the afternoon. _

"_Some extra work for the Order…."_

"_Some preparation for tomorrow's class…."_

_And now, tonight, as it has been for the past two weeks, "The apothecary…."_

And every week, unknown to Severus, Hermione travelled to the remote inn just off the end of Diagon Alley, and saw them there together. They would meet, whisper a few words, and disappear inside together.

Every week without fail.

She thought back to the episode when she had actually stumbled across them the first time. They had jumped apart awkwardly, each of them firing off contradicting explanations as to how they had happened to bump into each other that particular day.

Hermione rubbed her eyes hopelessly, feeling like a fool for letting this go on without confronting him. She could only imagine what they got up to, and it didn't break so much as shatter her heart to think about it. But as unbearable it was not knowing, perhaps the truth was even more unbearable. _So instead, I return home every week on Thursday, start cooking dinner, and hope that this will be the week that he comes home._

And the worst part was, that every week, Hermione thought it would be different. That Severus and Ginny won't meet. That he will come and she won't have to ask where he's been because he will have been here with her.

Only that hasn't happened. She had questioned him long enough about his whereabouts and received enough lies in return to know that he was cheating on her. She had given him plenty of chances to tell the truth. _It's coming up to my birthday for goodness sake! _she thought resentfully. _How dare he._ Whereas at the beginning she used to dissolve into tears, now she only felt rage.

She knew deep down that she couldn't blame Ginny. After all, Snape was an incredibly powerful wizard; it would be easy for him to trick the younger in some way. And Ginny just wouldn't _do_ that to her…. Hermione clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white with rage. It had progressed to the point where she wasn't jealous so much as angry. She vowed not to confront him. From now on she wouldn't question him again or act as though she suspected anything. She gritted her teeth determinedly. Let him think that he was getting away with it. No, she would just act normally towards him and towards everyone.

Hermione vowed, at that moment, to teach him a lesson. A grim look crossed her features. That project he had been carrying out, for instance. All his careful handwritten notes, locked away in an unbreakable box in his private laboratory. The only other person he trusted to go in there was herself. It would be easy enough for her to destroy that. That work had taken nearly a decade for him to compile. After many painstaking hours spent brewing potions and countless different combinations of ingredients, it was just a whisker away from being complete. It would be easy enough for her to make it look like a break-in by some vengeful ex-student or jealous colleague.

_And as for Severus himself_….

Tears of rage were pricking her eyelids and she wiped a hand clumsily over her face. She wanted him to _suffer_. He didn't deserve to live and breathe after the way he had made her suffer all this time. All the lies. All the deceit. Stringing her along like some schoolgirl who didn't know better…it made her head pound just thinking about it. Anger wasn't an emotion that Hermione felt often, but when she did, The Dark Lord himself had nothing on her.

Hermione's features twisted with fury as she thought back to every glance that had passed between Severus and Ginny, every knowing look…. She couldn't think of a punishment fitting enough….

Wait a second.

Maybe she _could_….

Hermione's breathing quickened. She was shocked at herself for even thinking it. _No, that was ridiculous. No way on earth would she ever…._ Her head pounding, Hermione shook slightly as she straightened herself. She slowly twisted the tap until the water stopped flowing and steadied herself against the edge of the sink. _Did she dare…?_ _Did she actually dare…?_ The witch exhaled heavily, her mind running at a hundred miles an hour. She had to think about this…it would need a great deal of skill to conceal it, especially from a Potions Professor. This would definitely take _weeks_ to prepare. Not to mention the difficulty of locating the brewing instructions. Did they even print them anymore? One way or the other, however, she was sure that being an accomplished Potions Mistress herself, she would be able to track down the ancient text necessary without coming up against too much resistance. She grimaced. She could definitely think of one place where she would be sure to start looking – _Knockturn Alley_.

Hermione's lower lip trembled as her mind reeled with the enormity of what she was contemplating.

A faint noise signalled to Hermione that Snape was returning to the kitchen.

It would take a strong aftertaste to conceal the scent and distinct bitterness of a fatal poison. Cinammon? No, too weak…. Cloves? No - _definitely_ not. Snape hated spices; he wouldn't go near it.

The heavy footsteps of the wizard himself grew closer as he neared the kitchen.

Suddenly it came to her. She almost laughed aloud. There was one taste he had a weakness for. Such a common herb and very easy to get hold of. Perfect, she thought, as she turned towards Severus as he entered the doorway.

She would lace the poison with _peppermint_.

When Severus entered the kitchen, the enchanting smile he received from Hermione told him that her earlier annoyance was forgotten. He couldn't quite place exactly what was hidden behind that small glint in her eyes…but he knew that from now on, everything was going to be alright.

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**A/N: **And there you have it! Yes, it was Hermione who ended up doing all that stuff to poor Snape. I hope the story all became clear by the end:o)


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